Apparent Suicide In Anthrax Case 339
penguin_dance passes along the news that a respected anthrax researcher, about to be indicted, has committed suicide. The FBI has been investigating the case since anthrax-contaminated letters were sent to the media and various politicians in 2001. The AP's coverage mentions that prosecutors intended to seek the death penalty. The suicide was not the one you might imagine if you've been following the story. "A top government scientist who helped the FBI analyze samples from the 2001 anthrax attacks has died in Maryland from an apparent suicide, just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him for the attacks, the Los Angeles Times has learned. Bruce E. Ivins, 62, who for the last 18 years worked at the government's elite biodefense research laboratories at Ft. Detrick, Md., had been informed of his impending prosecution... The extraordinary turn of events followed the government's payment in June of a settlement valued at $5.82 million to a former government scientist, Steven J. Hatfill, who was long targeted as the FBI's chief suspect despite a lack of any evidence that he had ever possessed anthrax."
Re:Riiight. (Score:2, Funny)
"Suicide", eh?
Yep, shot himself in the back of the head.
(No, I have not read TFA.)
All a mistake really... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Riiight. (Score:3, Funny)
Beat himself to death, with the blunt end of an axe?
Re:Motive? (Score:5, Funny)
Indeed he did - from TFA:
"Ivins, the son of a Princeton-educated pharmacist, was born and raised in Lebanon"
"Ivins, the son of a Princeton-educated pharmacist, was born and raised in Lebanon, Ohio"
Re:Oh, the irony (Score:1, Funny)
But a murderer gets euthanized, like a beloved pet is put down.
I want murderers to spend the rest of their lives horribly and end horribly, like most of us non criminals.
You sir, have a very odd view of life and death.
Life is the most terrible punishment imaginable, and a drugged up death is the only merciful release?
Lay off the emo son, lay off the emo.
Re:Riiight. (Score:3, Funny)
You must be new here.
1. The guy was joking /. admin then you would have identified yourself and put the comment in the FAQ where it belomgs, not in a comment.
2. Most slashdot summaries are all one needs to comment
3. Many links in slashdot summaries lead to stupid blogs, or sites with fifteen one paragraph ad laden pages. Often the summary is superior to the article.
4. Many links in slashdot summaries don't say anything more than the summary does
5. Who the fuck gives an anonymous coward the right to make up rules as to how the rest of us should moderate? If you were a
6. Moderation is NOT for punishment; it is to weed out weak comments and promote good ones. When I make a weak comment (can't be on-topic and insightful or funny all the time) I appreciate a downmodding.
7. Whoever moderated the above AC as "informative" (probably his own sock puppet) better hope I don't get them metamoderating. It was offtic, flamebait (the wikipedia definition of troll), and posted by an AC to boot.
"No karma bonus" checked, but feel free to mod down further if you wish, as it is no more on-topic than the parent post.
no no you have it wrong (Score:3, Funny)
We're fighting in Iraq so we don't have to fight the terrorists here! This guy did the anthrax attacks before we invaded Iraq; once we invaded Iraq, he stopped the attacks. It's pretty obvious that invading Iraq stopped him from further anthrax attacks. My logic is impeccable.
Re:Oh, the irony (Score:5, Funny)
by Reverend528 (585549) * on Friday August 01, @01:59PM (#24437215) Homepage
I've long been an advocate of bringing back crucifixion.
Seldom do I see a topic match a user's name so well!
Re:How do you spell, TERRORIST? (Score:3, Funny)
Please, everyone with brains knows all the biological "research" is done in Dugway Utah.
Can you think of any other reason the military would spend 10 million dollars to build a full passenger jet size (10000+ft long, 100' wide) asphalt runway (in 2006) at a facility with currently around 1000 employees that is in the remote desert of Utah? Keep in mind Dugway is around 100 miles from one of the nations large airforce bases (Hill Airforce Base) so access isn't really an issue. Add to that the runway being constructed in a 2 week period, a no bid contract and no public involvement or press coverage of any kind? Not only that but the military has expanded the base itself with new housing and buildings that quadrupled the staff size of the facility in the last 10 years? And this was a facility that when the major base closing were happening in the 90's scaled down to maybe a couple hundred people total, including all the guards. They don't need to do their illegal research anywhere other than dugway, nor would they. Dugway is the ideal location for this kind of research due to it's remote location, completely shielded from the public and based in a small town where what happens at the base would never become public.